Happy Birthday, Buddy Bell

Today is Buddy Bell’s 58th birthday.  Bell spent 18 years as a big league player, making his debut at the age of 20 and making his first All-Star game the next season.  Bell won six Gold Gloves and made five All-Star appearances in his career.  While Bell never played for the Tigers, he did manage the for three forgettable seasons.

Bell had the tough job of taking over for a Tigers icon as Sparky Anderson had retired prior to the 1996 season.  Bell was handed a team made up of plenty of former Astros and Padres thanks to the GM at the time, the undeniable incompetant, Randy Smith.

That 2006 team would have no trouble scoring runs and had five players hit at least 22 home runs. However, the pitching staff put up a season ERA of 6.31, one of the worst in the history of baseball.  Omar Olivares led the team with seven wins while the teams “closer” Gregg Olson finished with an ERA above .500 and only eight saves.

Things would improve slightly in 1997 as the club rebounded with a 79-83 season, 26 more wins than the previous season.  Three Tigers drove in over 100 runs (Tony Clark, Bobby Higginson, Travis Fryman).  The pitching staff still struggled but the club saw signs of life from youngsters like Justin Thompson and Brian Moehler.

Sadly for Bell and the Tigers, things went right back down in 1998 and the club started out the season 52-85, prompting Bell to resign.  It’s really not that often you see a manager just up and quit because the team is struggling.  They usually hang on until they are fired.

Bell would later manager the Colorado Rockies and the Kansas City Royals.